The Last Night
by space77
Summary: 03x12, Baby in the Bough, POST-EP. Epilogue to ‘A Night’s Tale’, it would most definitely behoove you to read that one first!


**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Summary: **03x12, Baby in the Bough, POST-EP. Epilogue to 'A Night's Tale', it would most definitely behoove you to read that one first!

**A/N: **I mostly liked how this ep ended, but they still left out some stuff! ;)

Thanks to the many readers and wonderful reviewers of _A Night's Tale_ – hope you are still with me for this one! Special thanks to the best beta in existence, **TemperTemper**. I know your time is especially precious now, thanks for giving me a piece of it, babe!

* * *

_Andy. His name was Andy._

_Is Andy._

_Taylor. Just like the old TV show. Dad and Russ loved that show. Russ was always whistling that annoying tune._

_Carol and Jimmy will probably change his last name to Grant now._

_He was exactly four months, three weeks and one day old. No, today would make him four months, three weeks and two days old._

_He loved it when I sang to him. His eyes would dance. Not literally… but sparkle._

_His little hands would tangle in my hair every chance he'd get._

_And I don't think I kissed him good-bye. Why didn't I do that?_

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Looks like our little guy is gonna be just fine." Booth found it hard to contain his relief at Cam's relay of the encouraging diagnosis for the baby.

Brennan raised her gaze to look at her partner as his words sunk in. It took him a moment longer, but then he was right there with her.

"_The_ little guy."

"Andy."

"Andy's gonna be just fine." He passed her the envelope containing Meg's letter. "You should read this."

Brennan took the letter and read the heartbreaking last words of a desperate woman. A mother who fit the anthropological profile near exactly… her top concern the protection of and provision for her young. A mother who knew she was in a situation over her head and in which her life, and therefore that of her son as well, was threatened.

Brennan nodded; the Grants seemed like good people, seemed to already really care for Andy. She replaced the letter in the envelope and handed it back to Booth.

Tapping the envelope on his thigh, Booth spoke up, "What do you say we go celebrate, Bones? Take Andy out for some ice cream?"

"He's a baby, Booth."

"I know but everybody loves ice cream!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Booth scooped up a little taste of vanilla ice cream from Brennan's bowl and offered it to Andy. The baby opened his mouth widely for the bite, then his face scrunched as the cold hit his tongue.

"Ooo, I don't think he likes it Booth."

"Too cold buddy?" Booth laughed. "I can't believe with all the choices they have, you got vanilla, Bones."

"I like vanilla. I can't believe you got ice cream called Love Potion."

"If you're gonna do it, do it right." He waggled his eyebrows. "My motto."

"We'll see about that," Brennan grinned, jabbing at his treat with her spoon, scooping up a large bite.

"Hey, you've got your own!" He tapped her spoon playfully with his own, causing half the bite to fall on the table between them.

"Look what you did! Now neither of us gets to enjoy it," she said, smiling as she licked the rest off her spoon.

"I'm enjoying it…" Booth watched her intently, leaving her no doubt that he wasn't talking about the ice cream.

Brennan returned his look for a moment. _Oh, what the hell._ "Me too."

They both set back to eating their respective ice creams and exchanging glances until Andy seemed to have other ideas.

"He's getting pretty fussy Bones. Maybe we should get him home."

Once again, a simple phrase spoken without thinking that could carry so much weight. Brennan raised her eyes and met his for a moment until they both laughed.

Booth shook his head and said, "Let's just go."

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Out like a light." Booth said as he joined her in her kitchen.

"Well, he had a full day. Metal detectors, car rides through several states…"

"Not to mention passing metal through his intestines."

"And a doctor's visit as well."

They had made it home from the ice cream shoppe in record time. Andy screamed most of the way and Brennan rode in the back with him, trying everything she could to pacify him. The 'Dancing Phalanges' even made a reappearance, which Booth enjoyed immensely through the rearview mirror. He was a matter of seconds from flipping on the siren and running through a few red lights, but they finally made it.

After a feeding, a bath (another educational first for Brennan) and changing into a fresh sleeper, the little guy was zonked. For the first time, he was actually sound asleep in the 'drawer-bed' that Brennan had prepared.

"Are you hungry, Booth?"

"Not too much, you?"

"I was thinking maybe a little something. Definitely not anything sweet though."

"Do you have any popcorn? Maybe we could find a movie on TV? Granted, yours is a bit small, but…"

"I just bought it for when Emma and Hayley come over, Booth. Although I really don't understand subjecting impressionable young children to most of the mindless drivel they show these days."

"So why did you buy it 'for them'?"

"You know, popcorn sounds perfect." She moved to her cabinet and retrieved a bag of microwave popcorn as Booth opened the fridge to grab a couple of beers.

"You're avoiding the question."

Brennan sighed, seemingly self-conscious with her answer. "They kept asking. And I make sure they are watching educational programs when they are here. The other day we watched a program on the Discovering Channel about ocean habitats. They loved it."

Booth laughed. "Discovery. And I'm sure they did. Auntie Bones was with them."

They maneuvered around each other like a well-oiled machine, rarely even having to speak to carry out the tasks that needed to be performed.

A few minutes later, they sat on the couch, shoulders nearly touching, each with a beer and the large bowl of popcorn sitting in the narrow space between their legs. Neither made a move for the television remote, both sensing the need for a bit of silence. The next day was looming in the forefront of their minds.

"So, the Grants are going to meet us at Headquarters tomorrow at nine."

Brennan's response was to pop a kernel of buttery popcorn in her mouth and chew.

Booth fidgeted on the couch a bit, not seeming to be able to get comfortable. After the third time of nearly knocking the bowl to the floor, Brennan finally asked, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I can't get comfortable. I think there's something…" He reached behind him and felt along the cushion. "Aha!"

He pulled out a stuffed purple elephant and tossed it on the coffee table.

"Now, that's better," he said settling back in and grabbing for another handful of popcorn.

Brennan just stared at the purple heap of fluff. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes from it. It had landed on its side, facing her. Two stubby legs lifted in the air and a little lavender trunk curled along the table.

But it wasn't the animal itself she was seeing. The first moments with the baby… Andy… were re-playing through her mind. She could remember everything. Him laying on Booth's jacket, looking up at her with a "What now?" look… getting fussy when she didn't really have an answer to that question… laying the key on Booth's jacket, next to him… finding the purple (_This is wrong_) elephant in the bag… trying to entertain the infant a bit… and him rolling over. That was probably when he swallowed the key…

"Earth to Bones." Booth snapped his fingers in front of her face. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." She reached for another piece of popcorn, but didn't eat it, just looked at it in her fingers.

"Don't give me that, Bones." He motioned between them. "Hey, partners here… share."

She spoke softly. "I guess I'm just going to miss him, that's all." She tossed the piece of popcorn back in the bowl.

"He's going to a good family."

"I know. And I couldn't have asked for this to end any better… he didn't have to enter the system."

"Because of you." Booth took her hand.

"What?" She looked up at him, wondering.

"Because you wouldn't give up on him. You stood up for him – you wouldn't let me take him to Family Services in Parsons."

Brennan looked down, considering this. Her hair curtained her face, obscuring her from his view.

Before he could stop himself, Booth used the hand not holding hers to pull that hair back behind her ear.

Brennan chuckled softly, looking up at him. "I think you may have a thing for my hair."

"I think I may have a thing for you."

Their eyes locked, hers widening a bit as what he said sunk in.

Booth moved his hand to cup her cheek and leaned in to her.

"You can stop me at any time, Bones. Temperance. But this has been a long time coming." He brushed his thumb along her high cheekbone. "Can you feel it too?"

Seeing the look in his eyes, Brennan froze momentarily. "I don't know what I feel."

Booth dropped his eyes and made to move away.

She quickly placed her hand over his, against her cheek. "But I know I feel something." She dipped her head to capture his eyes once again. "We weren't able to say what we 'think' of each other last night, and yet we expect to be able to tell each other what we 'feel' less than twenty-four hours later?"

He chuckled. "Things can change pretty quickly around here."

"Did we change, Booth?"

"Somewhere along the way, we did."

She nodded. "Yes."

Whether it was an agreement to his statement or an answer to a question yet un-asked, neither knew. But when she began to lean in to him, he didn't hesitate to meet her halfway. And when their lips finally met in that un-witnessed, un-coerced, steamboat-less kiss, mistletoe, puckish prosecutors and brothers were the furthest things from their minds.

It was soft, tentative, full of warmth… for about five seconds. Then that warmth erupted into an unquenchable fire; the coals that had been smoldering for years were fanned and the flames… engulfed them.

And yes, it was intense, but most of all it was in-tune. He moved left, she moved right. Tongues didn't so much duel as dance. An expected alpha-male and female competition was more of a completion.

There were no foster services, no burned bodies, no desperation so alive as to compel murder… and yet there was. It was a faded, blurred background, but it was _their_ background. Every moment led them to here.

And this moment was all that mattered.

Her hands smoothed up his arms to wrap around his neck and thread into his hair, her short nails scraping lightly across his scalp. He gently gripped her waist with one hand, while slowly leaning into her, laying her back into the corner of the couch. When the bowl of popcorn upended and fell to the floor, he pulled back, propping himself up, hands sinking into the couch on either side of her and looked into her heavy-lidded eyes.

"Oops…" he said and smiled. _Was it going to be uncomfortable? Would he have to make some lame excuse and leave?_

She didn't even look at the mess littering the couch and floor. "C'mere…" she replied, fisting the front of his t-shirt and pulling him back down to her lips. _That's my Bones._

He kissed her lightly, shifting onto his elbow, allowing some of his weight to press her into the couch. Enough to be comforting, not oppressing.

Then he raised to look in her beautiful eyes, "You know, when I thought of us finally getting to this point, I always thought candlelight, flowers, soft music, bedroom. Not making out on your couch with popcorn crunching underneath us and a baby asleep in the next room."

She traced his smile with her finger and simply whispered, "It's perfect Booth."

She allowed her fingertips to move along his jaw line, eyes following as she trailed down to the neckline of his shirt; along the way, memorizing the texture of his stubble under her fingertips, the line where it faded into smooth, warm skin. The veins pumping life through him. "I know I promised, but I wouldn't have been able to drive away and leave you today, Booth. I'm sorry…"

"Hey, we don't know what you would have done. Thankfully we didn't have to find out." He lightly touched her chin, raising her eyes back to his. "But you would have done what was right, logical. I know you." His eyes twinkled with his smile.

"Objectively, I believe you." But her mind was filled with as-yet-unspoken emotion when she thought about what could-have-been. His _Promise me _echoed in her ears_._ The stern look on his face flashed before her eyes. _What is wrong with me? It's not logical to think this way. I can't explain…_

So she did the next best thing. Pulled his head back down to hers and kissed him more passionately than she had ever kissed anyone. No one else even came close. She relished the weight of him along the length of her body, feeling him hard and lean against her; only now realizing that this is what had been missing for so long.

His hands moved into her hair, separating the silky strands to fall between his fingers, his thumb gliding along her temple, then down her cheek. He felt her shudder beneath him. This could go much farther and move much faster tonight than they needed it to.

He kissed down her neck and allowed his head to rest on her shoulder, his body laying half on her, half along the back cushions of the couch, his arm draped low across her hips. This felt so comfortable, though it had just technically started. But in actuality, they had been together for a while. He sighed and allowed his eyes to close as his thoughts rambled through his head.

She had been running her fingers through his hair continuously since he had lain halfway between her shoulder and breast. His breathing had become steady and she knew it wouldn't be long until he was asleep. Her mind was still wind-milling through the events of the day, mostly the past fifteen minutes. This didn't scare her as much as she had thought it would. It seemed a logical progression.

"Booth."

"Hmmm…"

"Let's go to bed while we can still move."

He raised his head to look at her. "Looks like we're both full of 'loaded' statements this evening."

"Nothing 'loaded' about it," she said as she pushed him up off her and slipped from under him to stand. Reaching for his hand, she helped pull him off the couch. "You're coming to bed with me."

"Bones, I'm not sure… I mean, I want to, don't get me wrong… but… the baby, and…"

"Booth." She placed a hand on his cheek. "Just sleep with me. Sleep. Okay?"

He nodded and kissed her lightly, then led her down the hall to her bedroom.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Nine the next morning arrived entirely too soon.

It felt good to help out the Grants, who couldn't have their own child. Brennan knew they would love and provide for Andy.

But it didn't stop her from feeling, _feeling_, that when she had to pass that child over to them, she was passing a piece of herself.

The little hands that had just been wrapped in her hair, now held the strands of his new mommy. It was both heart-warming and heart-breaking.

As the new family turned to leave the room, Carol holding the baby, Jimmy now in possession of the car seat and diaper bag, Brennan felt Booth's warm hand come around her waist and squeeze her lightly, offering what comfort he could. She leaned into him slightly and turned to look in his eyes.

He saw something flicker there, could see the thoughts running through her head, and then she turned and walked out the door, calling after the Grants.

They stopped and Carol turned, holding the baby tightly.

"Can I… I didn't kiss him good-bye."

Carol nodded and smiled her permission.

Brennan bent slightly and kissed Andy's smooth cheek. The baby smiled and reached up to grab her hair again. "Be a good boy," she said, as she softly kissed his open fingers.

Booth had followed her out of the conference room, unsure of her intentions. It wasn't like Bones to chase after, make a scene. Seeing her saying goodbye touched him deeply. He rested a hand on her shoulder and reached over to ruffle the baby's peach-fuzz head. "Good-bye, Little Big Man."

Then to the Grants, "Would it be okay with you guys if we visited Andy from time to time?"

Jimmy nodded and Carol replied, "Sure. Dr. Brennan has my contact numbers." She gave Brennan a knowing look. "You are welcome any time. Thank you so much for taking care of him. We hope to hear from you soon."

And with that, they turned to leave.

Booth inhaled deeply and turned to his partner. He saw the way she crossed her arms over her chest, protectively. Arms now empty and eyes full of unnamed emotions. "How 'bout I buy you a cup of coffee, Bones? Maybe get some fresh air?"

"That sounds good." She smiled as his hand moved to the small of her back and guided her toward the elevators.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

They visited a drive-thru java hut on their way out of the city. Brennan had assumed they would go to the diner, but decided not to question her partner when he turned the car in the other direction.

She turned to look at him and he smiled and took her hand, interlacing their fingers and resting them on his thigh. This was new, different, and if she thought about it too much… _not right now_.

What she wanted to think about as she looked at their entwined hands was how she awoke this morning to her partner's face.

--

_His jaw was slack, his features beautiful in sleep. She watched him breathe, softly snoring._

_And once again, they were not alone._

_Booth must have brought the baby to bed during his shift. Cheater. Andy's head was resting on Booth's bicep, her partner's arm curled protectively around the infant, cradling him to his side._

_She moved slowly, so as not to wake them and padded to the kitchen to start coffee. They would have to leave soon. Adding the fresh grounds and water, she flicked on the pot and moved to grab two mugs from the cabinet. That was when she spotted her camera laying on the counter and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture that moment._

_She snapped a few pictures quietly, without waking 'her guys'. And this is where her doubts began to creep to the surface. Booth was such a natural father. It only served to reason that he would want more children. And she didn't. This experience had not changed her logical stance._

_Could she be what he needed? Did she want to be? And this wasn't the only issue they had differing opinions about. Hell no._

"_You done with the photo shoot, Bones?" he whispered as he smiled up at her and opened his eyes, careful not to disturb Andy._

_Briefly startled from her thoughts, she just smiled back. "Couldn't pass it up."_

_His eyes sparkled and he let them linger on her, seeming to revel in seeing her first thing upon waking up. "I could get used to this." He reached out his free hand towards her and she took it. "Good morning, babe."_

"_That's the second time you've called me that."_

"_I know." Full charm smile._

_She chuckled and leaned down, until her face was mere inches from his. "I should have known. Be glad you have a sleeping baby in your arms or I might have had to make an issue of it." She placed a light kiss upon his lips and pulled back. "I'm making coffee."_

_His smile widened, "I could definitely get used to this."_

--

They had ended up at one of the state parks nearby, sitting on the back of the SUV and soaking in the beautiful day.

Booth fiddled with one of Andy's pacifiers that had ended up in the back of the truck. He vaguely remembered him throwing it during the 'do-anything-to-quiet-the-screaming-baby' battle of the previous night. _Kid has an arm_, he smiled.

"Y'know, I'm gonna miss that little guy. Today was more difficult than I had expected." He wanted her to know she wasn't alone in the feelings she had expressed to him the night before.

"I'm not ashamed to say that I've developed a certain affection for Andy. It's a natural byproduct of caregiving. I guess what surprised me was the intensity of it."

"Yeah, so… what d'ya think? Changed your mind about having kids?" He leaned back against the seat with a smug, teasing look, not wanting to betray his true feelings. That she had done a wonderful job with Andy and while he would never think any less of her either way, he would love nothing more than if she took a bit of that to heart.

She glared at him before answering, "I've changed my mind about a lot of things recently…" a knowing look, "…but having children is not one of them." She held her breath, waiting to see his reaction.

He knew what she meant, but couldn't resist ribbing her, just the same. "Okay, alright. You've got some time." He looked down, his smile broadening in anticipation of her reaction to his next words. "Not _that_ much time."

"Booth!" she swatted at his hand, unintentionally causing him to spill the last dregs of his coffee… all over her proposals from Carol.

Booth was unaware that she had called Carol the previous afternoon, after her attempts to sway The Congressman had failed. Carol had already been involved in a project to rebuild the bridge into Huntsville, performing much of the research and grant proposal work herself… it's not like she didn't have the time on her hands. It was the financial aspect that had always hindered moving further and Carol had resigned herself to it being 'just a dream.' That's where Brennan had decided to step in. With her book advance and sale of the movie rights, they could afford to move ahead.

"Wow, listen to you. Good for you." Booth's eyes shone with pride for his partner and her philanthropic decision-making. And not only that. The vision that she laid out before him, of scenic routes, gas stations, restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts… it only served to show how big her heart was, how much she cared and wanted to give back.

He handed her back the bound proposal, brushing her hand in the transfer. "I'm proud of ya, Bones."

"I don't do it for that." She looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "But thank you."

He leaned back into the seat again and she set about gathering the papers, now artfully splattered with sepia-coffee spots.

"You know, with next year's book, you should get that second home in the town you saved." He continued to pontificate about plasmas getting cheaper, her needing to visit with Andy, which she fully intended to do (made easier by the working relationship with Carol). And then something seemed to shift. It became "we all" go fishing, "we all" plop down in front of the blessed plasma screen, gorging on football and five(_seven_)-layer dip.

And she saw in his eyes, his total belief in that picture that he was painting. He was laying out his vision, and she realized it was something that she could want too. She took the pacifier he had been manipulating the entire conversation. As her thoughts turned to the blue-eyed little boy she had just sent off to a fresh start in life, her partner began to babble some nonsense in baby-speak… basically talking like a fool.

"Booth."

He continued his incoherence until she grabbed his tie and pulled, bringing his lips crashing to hers, effectively shutting him up. The kiss lingered and escalated, leaving little doubt in either of their minds what they would rather be engaging in at that moment.

As his hands moved to circle her waist and pull her closer, Brennan teased her lips along his cheek to his ear and whispered huskily, "Take me home."

Booth futilely tried to cover his moan with a chuckle. "You got it… babe."

_FIN._

* * *

_So yeah… just had to change a few things along the way! Let me know what you think – thanks for reading!_


End file.
